Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-10-23

horror ana al us IOlly Inv "VuNA -
destined without knowing it herself) to be
the evil genius of my life. Her innocent
ewes saw hidden capabilities of my wick
edneas in me that l was not aware OF my
sell. unit l l felt them stirring under her
look. If l commit faults in my life to
eome-if I am even guilty of crimes-she
will bring the retribution, without las
firmly believed any conscious exercise OF her
own will. In one understandable moment l
felt all this-and Isuppose my face showed
it. The good, artless creature was Inspir'
ed by a sort of gentle alarm for me. i am
afraid that the heat of the room Is too
much for you will you try my smelling
bottle?' l heard her say those KIND
words and / remember nothing else
I tainted. When l recovered my senses
the company had gone; only the lady OF the
house was with me. For the moment l
could say nothing to her; the dreadful I'M
preston that ! have tried TO dlscrloe 10
Won came back to me with the coming oaeK
| of nv life. As soon "a could speak I'M
plored her to tell me the whole truth about
the woman l had supplanted. You see, L
had faint hope that her good character
might not really be deserved, that her
noble letter was a skillful piece OF bypo'
crisy-in shot, that she secretly hated me
and was cunning enough to hide 1t. No!
the lady had been her friend from her girl
booj. was as familiar with her as If they
had been sisters-knew her positively to
be as good, as innocent, as incapable OF
hating anybody, as the greatest
saint that ever lived. My one last
hone. that l had only felt an or
binary forewarning of danger IN the pres
ence of an ordinary enemy, was hope de,
stroyed forever. There was one more effort
| could make, and | made 1t. went next
| to the man l am to marry. L lmplored
him to release me from my promise. He
refused. | declared would break my en-
aasement. He showed me letters rom his
sisters, letters from his brothers and his
dear iriends-all entreating him to think
AGAIN before he made me his wife; all re-
heating stories of me in Paris, Vienna and
| London, which are so many vile lies. II
you refuse to marry me, he said 'you ad-
nit that these reports are true-you ADM
that YOU are afraid to face society IN the
character Of my WIFE What could an
sWer? There was no contradIcting him
he was plainly right; if persisted IN my
refusal the utter destruction OF my repu-
tation would be the result. | consented to
let the wedding take place as we had ar
ranged it-and left him. The night has
passed. | am here, with my liked convlc-
| tion-that innocent woman is ordained to
have fatal influence over my life. | am
here with nv one question 10 put to the
one man who can answer 1t. For the last
time sir. what am Ia demon who has
seen the avenging angel? or only poor
mad woman, misled by the delusion OF
deranged mind?'
DR.. Wybrow rose from his chair, deter
mined to close the interview.
He WAS strongly and painfully impressed
by what he had heard. The longer he had
listened to her the more irreslstibly the
conviction of the woman's wickedness had
forced itself upon him. lie tried vainly
| to think of her as person to be pltled-a
person with a morbidly sensitive imagna-
tion, conscious of the capacities for evil
which lie dormant in MS all, and striving
earnestly to open her heart 10 the counter
influence of her own better nature; the
effort was beyond him. A perverse IN
stinCt in him said, as if in words. beware
how you believe in herr
81 have already given you my opinion,
he said. There is no sign Of your intel
! lect being derangFd, or being likely to be
derauged, that medical science can dis
cover-as | understand it, As for the im-
prrssions you have conided to nus / can
orlv saw that yours is a case las venture
10 think for spiritual rather than for med
| zeal advice. OF one thing be assured
what you have said To me IN this room
shall not pass out of it. Your confession
! is safe in my keeping"
She heard him, with a certain logged
resignation, to the end.
rs that ALL" she asked.
That is all, he answered.
She put little paper packet OF money
on the table. :,
Thank you, sir. There is your fee"
With those words she rose. Her wild
black eyes looked upward with au express
sion of despair so defiant and 50 horriblei in
its silent agony that the doctor turned
away his head unable to endure the sight
Of il The bare idea of taking anything
from her-nOt money only, hut anything
even that she had tOuchCd-Sudd1nly re-
| yolyed him. Still, without looking at her,
he said, Take it back; | don't want any
| fee y
She neither needed nor heard him. Still
| Looking upward, she said, slowly, to her
self: "Let the end come. have done
with the struggle; / submit"
She drew her veil over her face, bowed
to the doctor and left the room.
lie rang the bell and followed her into
the hall. As the servant closed the door
ON her, a sudden impulse OF curiosity
utterly unworthy of him, and at the same
time irrssistble-sprung up in the doc
tors mind. Blushing like boy, he said
to the servant: Follow her home and
(iud ont her name For ore moment the
man looked at his master, doubling If his
Own ears had not deceived him. DR.. Why
grow looked back on him in silence. The
submissive servant knew what that silence
meaut-took his hat and hurried into the
street.
The doctor went back to the consulting
room. A sudden revulsion of the feeling
swept over his mind. Had the woman left
an infection OF wickedness in the house,
and had he caught it? What devil had
possessed him to degrade himself in the
eyes of mis- own servant? He had behaved
himself UNANIMOUSLY had asked an hon
est man, a man who had served him faith
| fully for years, to turn spy! Stung by the
bare thought of it. he ran into the hall
again and opened the door. The servant
had disappeared;i lit was too late to call him
but one refuge against his contempt for
himself was now open to him-the refuge
of work. He got his carriage and went his
rounds among his patients.
If the famous physician could have sha-
ken his own reputation, he would have
done it that afternoon. Never before bad
he made himself so little welcome at the
bedside. Never before had he put off until
tomorrow the prescription which ought to
have been written, the opinion which
ought to have been given to. day. He went
home earlier than usual-unutterably dis
satisfied with himself.
The servant had returned. DR.. Wybrow
was ashamed to question him! The man